Gaseous fuel powered engines are common in locomotive applications. For example, the engines of a locomotive can be powered by natural gas alone or by a mixture of natural gas and diesel fuel. As demands for reduced emissions and increased efficiency grow, the gaseous fuel is delivered to the engine at higher and higher pressures. And in order to properly control performance of a gaseous fueled engine, the pressure of the gaseous fuel delivered into the engine should be tightly regulated.
Historically, the pressure of the gaseous fuel being delivered into an engine has been controlled by way of a pressure regulator and/or a gas vent valve. Most conventional pressure regulators and vent valves function by selectively restricting the flow of gaseous fuel across a variable orifice. While adequate in some stationary applications, conventional regulators and vent valves may not be suitable for transportation applications because of extreme conditions (e.g., vibration and shock loading) experienced in these applications. In addition, creating a pressure drop across an orifice can cause a reduction in temperature of the gas. And if unaccounted for, the reduction in temperature can be significant enough to cause material compatibility problems (e.g., brittleness) that results in cracking or failure.
The disclosed pressure reducing device is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.